BuddySOS vs Find My Friends
Find My (formerly Find My Friends) only shares location between Apple devices. BuddySOS shares live location across iPhone and Android in the same group, and its SOS button alerts the group and texts your emergency contacts. They do not need the app installed.
Which one should I use?
Pick BuddySOS if your group mixes iPhone and Android: Find My only shares location between Apple devices. BuddySOS works on both platforms, keeps separate maps for separate groups, and adds a one-tap SOS that alerts your group and texts your emergency contacts. If everyone you care about is on iPhone, Find My may be all you need.
| Feature | BuddySOS | Find My Friends |
|---|---|---|
| Works across iPhone and Android | Yes, one app for everyone | No, Apple devices only |
| Separate maps for separate groups | Yes, a switcher flips between groups | No, one list of everyone sharing with you |
| One-tap SOS alert to your group | Yes, live GPS to every member | No group alert |
| Texts emergency contacts your location | Yes, on every SOS. Contacts need no app | Yes, after an Emergency SOS call |
| Calls emergency services | No | Yes, iPhone Emergency SOS |
| Arrival / departure alerts | Safe zones for the whole group. 1 free per group, up to 5 | Per-person notifications, plus Check In in Messages |
| Location history kept | None | None shown |
| Cost | Free. Optional $1.99/month removes ads | Free, built into Apple devices |
Find My or BuddySOS?
Find My is the better choice when
- Everyone in your circle uses an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
- You want your phone to call emergency services for you. iPhone Emergency SOS does that, and BuddySOS does not.
- You want a tool that is already on the phone, with no app to install and no ads.
BuddySOS fits better when
- Anyone in the group carries an Android phone.
- You keep more than one circle: a festival crew, a family, a work team. Each group gets its own map.
- You want the whole group alerted with your live location in one tap, not only contacts after a call to emergency services.
- You want arrival and departure alerts that go to the whole group instead of one person at a time.
Bottom line
Find My is good at what it does: free location sharing between Apple devices, backed by Emergency SOS that calls for help. It stops at the edge of the Apple ecosystem, and it has no way to alert a group. The moment one person is on Android, or you want one tap to reach everyone you are with, BuddySOS is the better fit. Many iPhone users keep both: Find My for Apple-only family, BuddySOS for mixed groups and events.
Comparing family apps? See BuddySOS vs Life360 and the family location sharing page.
One app, both platforms. No location history. Ever.
Free on iOS and Android, with every safety feature free on every plan. Your location reaches your group and nowhere else, and we keep no record of where you've been.
Download BuddySOS